Touchan Taicho
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: For someone who had troubles getting close to someone before, Toshiro finds himself unable to trust any of the adults around him, simply because of what one person did. Time is something that can heal, but perhaps there are other things.
1. Captain's Meeting

_Disclaimer – Evilhumour and I do not own Bleach. This fanfic is a sequel to "Shouniaisha Taicho". This fanfic contains the mentioning of sensitive issues from ST, among other sensitive issues. The prequel to ST and TT is on Evilhumour's account._

**Touchan Taicho  
>~ Captain's Meeting ~<strong>

The feet of the captains and a select few fukutaicho fell at a steady rhythm as they came to the meeting that Yamamoto called to discuss the issues that transpired and brought the Gotei Thirteen to its knees. The mood as the various members of the upper ranks maintained a darkness as they gathered in the room.

The first to arrive was Yamamoto himself, closely followed by Unohana Taicho. Both of them gave each other looks that betrayed for a few minutes the look of hurt they were feeling, something that rarely, if ever happened. They maintained a silence though, despite knowing all the details themselves as the other captains who didn't know filtered in.

They were soon followed by Byakuya, whose reiatsu gave off a dark aura. It wasn't often that rumors of one taicho attacking another surfaced, nor was if very often that a division other then the eleventh division would have a taicho disposed of through means of battle in front of the division members. Not to mention, things were hush, hush.

Abarai Renji remained hot on the heels of his taicho, his own mood dark due to the fact that the situation with Hitsugaya Taicho, the rumors didn't seem right. Sure, he didn't like the kid. However, he didn't think that a child should be in position of captain and should instead be allowed to be a child. However, something also told him that Hitsugaya would never harm another captain without reason.

It was rare in truth that the fukutaicho were summoned to the chambers along with the taicho. The ones from the seventh division came into the room, and then they were followed by the eighth and thirteenth division. Ukitake gave Kyoraku a worried look, but Ise remained calm as could be about the whole situation. The third seats of the thirteenth were missing.

Kenpachi came in, his own mood dark, followed by Ikkaku who had been selected to stand in for Yachiru in this case. No one argued him being there though as he was on level with the other fukutaicho. Close on his heals were the top two ranks of the twelfth division. Mayuri scowled at the others. "A bunch of nonsense has been going on of late."

The last to come in was Soifon and her fukutaicho, the fukutaicho of the third and ninth division hot on her heals. The moods of everyone but her own fukutaicho were far from being lighthearted and the second division fukutaicho munched on his fried rice crackers, not really paying mind to the somberness of the situation. Soifon finally resorted to elbowing him in the stomach.

It was then that Sasakibe stepped into the room and the doors were closed behind him. "Everyone who was called is here sir."

At this, Ise piped up from her position low to the ground, concern in her voice. "Hitsugaya Taicho, nor are the fukutaicho of the forth, fifth and tenth division are here."

"They will not be attending." Yamamoto spoke up, his voice heavy. "We are here to discuss the matter of Hitsugaya Toshiro, Aishadou Shounimahi and one other. Kotetsu Fukutaicho has been informed of the situation but no matter what, none of what is said here is to be passed on to the ears of Hinamori or Matsumoto Fukutaicho."

At that, the fukutaicho of the second division finally stopped munching on the crackers and stared at the head captain. This time, it was Abarai Renji who spoke up. "I know that this is probably not my place, but doesn't lieutenant Matsumoto deserve to know what is going on with her taicho?"

At that, Unohana spoke up. "Matsumoto Fukutaicho has specifically requested that Hitsugaya Taicho be the one to tell her himself. We wish to respect the fact that she requested this. However, as for Hinamori Momo, it has been determined that she is mentally not ready for this kind of information."

At that, a heavy silence hung over the taicho and the fukutaicho, knowing full well that what they were going to hear wasn't something they would like hearing. Yamamoto started the conversation. "As you all will have heard, Aishadou is now dead, having lost a duel for the captaincy of the third division. That rumor is true."

"I am likely not speaking just for myself when I bring up the fact that the duel was not usual. Many of the division ranks are questioning the fact that the dual was closed to anyone outside of the division, which in itself isn't the norm." Byakuya spoke up.

"The other option was to bring Aishadou Taicho to trial for his crimes against Hitsugaya Taicho. That though, would have meant placing an unneeded strain on the taicho of the tenth division." Yamamoto stated.

At that, Kyoraku tipped his hat. "I had the feeling that Aishadou had done something to the small taicho. Hitsugaya isn't one to attack someone unprovoked."

"Hitsugaya Taicho didn't attack Aishadou." Kira suddenly spoke up. "The wound that man received was done in self-defense."

At that, Unohana Taicho spoke up. "A few of you have noticed that in the last few months that Hitsugaya Taicho has been acting differently then he normally does... those of you who've been close to him."

"I couldn't help but notice that he was becoming nervous when people spoke to him. I noticed too that he had an injury that wasn't going away. I asked about it, but he said it was from a training accident." Ukitake spoke up.

"We aren't sure of the exact details, but Aishadou Taicho has... had been mentally and physically abusing Hitsugaya Taicho for the last few months. It is likely that Aishadou convinced Hitsugaya Taicho that no one would believe him, else he would have told us something was wrong." Unohana spoke up.

Then came the words that pretty much everyone didn't want to hear, but knew were going to be said. "Rather recently, Aishadou escalated the abuse to sexual. We also know for a fact that Hitsugaya Taicho was raped by someone we all felt we could trust not to do something like this."

"How can you know when the tests are yet to come back and Hitsugaya Taicho himself is in worse condition then the eleventh division fukutaicho?" Mayuri commented. "I mean, I assume that is what those tests you sent me are about and the fact that Matsumoto Fukutaicho is _still_ waiting for her taicho to tell her means he isn't speaking, is he?"

"There is video proof." Yamamoto spoke up, catching everyone in the roof off guard. "Aishadou's... lack of coming to understand the modern aspects of the Gotei Thirteen and the fact that Hitsugaya Taicho had a bit of luck, we got video recorded on his Soul Phone, which he switched out with Kuchiki Rukia's."

"There is a part of the puzzle that is missing." Komamura spoke up, his voice rather dark. "Who is it that fought Aishadou for the captaincy position? I assume that this person is the one other you spoke of earlier."

The answer brought a long moment of silence from everyone else. "Ichimaru Gin."

"You're kidding, right?" Mayuri was the first to speak up. "He's a traitor, is he not?"

"Ichimaru Gin's intention had been to turn on Aizen. However, that doesn't change the fact that he did deceive and break the trust of those around him, despite the fact he had good intentions. It was his decision to remain in a cell." Yamamoto stated.

"Soon after burning Aishadou's Haori in front of Hitsugaya Taicho and Kusajishi Fukutaicho, he himself collapsed and right now he is unconscious in my division." Unohana stated.

At that, Kenpachi paused for a few seconds. "Wait a second, are you saying that Aishadou is the one who _also _touched Yachiru?"

"Possibly." Unohana stated. "Let's just say that Ichimaru had a reason for being the one to stop Aishadou, something I am not at liberty to share."

Ukitake spoke up. "What I would like to know is how Hitsugaya Taicho is doing?"

"At this point in time, he refuses to let anyone touch him, trying to fight them off. He's also not spoken since we pulled him out of the third division." The captain of the forth stated.

"Why was Hitsugaya Taicho at the third division?" Renji asked suddenly, voicing the confusion that everyone had about the situation.

Soifon suddenly spoke up. "There are certain details that are best left unsaid. The situation in truth is very complicated."

"With Hitsugaya Taicho in the condition he is, who is going to be taking care of him?" Nanao stated, voicing yet another concern that was on many people's mind.

"Weighing every single detail, I've decided to place Hitsugaya Taicho into the care of Ichimaru Gin." This decision caught quite a few off guard and Ise found herself frowning at the fact that it wasn't Matsumoto that had been selected.


	2. Loss of Adrenaline

**Touchan Taicho**  
><strong>~ Loss of Adrenaline~<strong>

_The sides of his eyesight were blurred, as if he hadn't noted certain aspects of the place around him. His steps on the wooden floor of the forth division were long and tiresome, but his body kept pushing forward, that one goal at the forefront of his mind. There was something still left for him to achieve, despite the aching pain in his arm._

_Stepping into the room, his mind felt numb to all emotion as he saw the small child with white hair on the bed, curled up in a position that sought comfort from the harsh world around him. He had seen Toshiro sleep before, and this time around, the entire body was tense, rather then relaxed, as if he were waiting for the pain to come again._

_The child's lower right arm was in a cast, a small bit of protection against the bad in the world. Matsumoto was to the side, a foggy mess to his vision, as were her words. He slipped into the room and over to the child. Toshiro just so happened to open his eyes to look at him, and there was this deep, dark fear in the once bright, fiery eyes._

_He then reached down to scoop the child, despite the fact that Toshiro protested, his body tensing even more, if that was possible, and kicking for dear life to be put down. He muttered something to Toshiro, but couldn't hear his own words. He simply scooped the child and carried him out to the courtyard. He watched as the haori of Aishadou was dropped into the fiery barrel._

_This time, he could hear his own words. "I promised you, I wouldn't let him hurt you again, didn't I?"_

_Toshiro's body for some reason relaxed, and glancing down, Ichimaru could see the shocked look in the child's dulled eyes. Carefully, Ichimaru carried the child back into the room he had been saying, Matsumoto trying to say something to him. He placed his son into the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin._

"_You're safe now." Ichimaru stated, carefully brushing that one lock of white hair away from Toshiro's face. He could feel his energy draining, but he waited until the small taicho's eyes closed, before collapsing to the ground. He could hear Isane yelling something, possibly for someone to take him to another room and to have his injuries treated._

**M**

Pain seared through Ichimaru's right arm as he opened up his eyes to look at the ceiling of the forth division. He pulled said arm up to his forehead, despite the pain he was feeling and began to think about things, despite the fact that his body was exhausted. "_Toshiro is safe now._"

"_That Aishadou was a piece of work. I mean, controlling your reiatsu like that._" His zampaktuo bubbled the words out.

Gin let out a deep sigh. "_Well, I shouldn't have expected anything less from the man. He was a manipulater who doesn't care about others feelings. He's one to use any means to get what he wanted._"

"_You and he are alike then, you know._" His zampaktuo blurted out, causing the man to inwardly flinch.

"_There are a lot of things I would do, yes... to achieve my end goal. I wouldn't ever allow those most precious to me to become harmed in the process, not if I can help it. Plus..._" Ichimaru choose to sat up at that point. "_He hid his bad morals behind the fact that he outwardly looked like a good person. I made people believe me cruel so that the blow wouldn't be as bad._"

Glancing over towards the door, he couldn't help but notice a rather small shinigami standing in front of him. Ichimaru recognized it as the overly timid one of the forth. "I don't bite, Yamada Hanataro."

"I know that." The small male stated, holding his clip board. "I guess that's the reason why I've been assigned to your care."

"Ehh..." Ichimaru shook his head, letting out a short laugh as he did so. "I guess nobody wants to come near me then? I don't blame them, do you?"

"Well, I can't say I can. You did make everyone think that you had turned on us. But then, you weren't exactly a nice person to be around before that." Hanataro spoke up, heading over to Ichimaru. "Despite the fact that you wish to get up and leave, I am going to have to stop you sir."

At that, Ichimaru found himself eying the young shinigami, knowing full well that he could get past Hanataro if he so choose to do so. However, he found his interest greatly perked by the fact that the obviously timid youth was standing up to him. "Aren't you afraid of me? I mean, everyone else is."

"Well, everyone knows that you are the person who challenged Aishadou to a duel. You burned his haori in plain sight." Yamada stated, still holding onto his clip board. "However... I'm in the office when I'm not doing my duties. I know that Hitsugaya Taicho isn't doing well, despite the fact that Unohana Taicho's been keeping it from everyone. I saw him too that day. You did all that for him, didn't you?"

"Does it really matter if I did?" Gin shook his head at the youth.

"It doesn't matter if Hitsugaya Taicho thinks I'm his friend, but I consider him a friend of mine." Hanataro stated.

"_I'm quite sure that Shiro-chan considers you a friend, even though he has a hard time admitting things._" Ichimaru let out a deep breath. "How is chibi taicho doing?"

"Well, I haven't seen him since you brought him out of his room. I'm assuming that he isn't doing well. Normally he would be up and about by now." The young male stated, watching the man carefully.

"Hanataro... I would like to go see how Shiro-chan is doing." Gin put his plea forward. "I am going to go see him, whether you wish to let me go or not."

At that, Yamada frowned, then spoke up again. "You wouldn't be leaving here if you didn't have that reason?"

"Not likely." Ichimaru piped up. "It isn't as if anyone will be happy to see me. I am not blind to the fact that I am very disliked. I do want to see how he is doing. Do you want to see how he's doing as well?"

At that, Hanataro continued to frown, but then nodded his head. "I'll go with you. I don't think Unohana Taicho will have a problem with that."

At that, Ichimaru pushed the covers away, his body still feeling the fact that his reiatsu levels had been messed with. Unsteadily, he got to his feet and straightened out the white robes. He allowed Hanataro to show him the way to the child's room. He couldn't help but feel different sets of eyes on him as he did so, but then he had done that many times before to other people.

Arriving at the room, he watched as Hanataro stepped into the doorway. "Kotetsu Fukutaicho?"

"Yes Yamada-san?" The female got up and walked over to the door. As she arrived at the door, she couldn't help but notice the person who was with him. Her body tensed up. "Aren't you supposed to be watching Ichimaru to make sure that he doesn't wander around."

"Ichimaru-san wished to see how Hitsugaya Taicho was doing." Yamada commented.

Isane frowned for a few minutes, then stepped aside. "Matsumoto-san. Ichimaru and Yamada are coming in to see how Hitsugaya Taicho is doing."

There came no verbal answer, so the two stepped into the room. Gin went and pulled one of the chairs in the room over so he could sit next to Rangiku. It was then that she spoke up. "I am not happy with you, Gin. I know that you possibly meant well, but I have a problem with the way you are doing things. I don't want to see my small taicho hurt because you do something you can't take back."

The man didn't say anything to her, but simply looked at the small child who slept soundly on the bed. "_His body is still tense._" At that, he closed his eyes. "I don't know how to make him better for you Ran, otherwise I would."

"I am personally glad that you don't have some idea on how to make him better." Matsumoto folded her arms across her voluminous chest. "Gin, I don't know exactly what you did, or why you did it. I get the idea that you killed Aishadou Taicho. You can't solve everything with violence you know. And no, I don't want to know the reason you did all of this. I still haven't exactly forgiven you."

At that, Isane went and got two more chairs from another room, pulling them onto the other side of the bed. She watched the small taicho carefully, his body not stirring from where he was sleeping. "They called a meeting between the captains and fukutaicho."

At that, Ichimaru found his head jerking up. "They're going to tell everyone what happened to Chibi Taicho?"

"It's not as if they have a choice in the matter. Unohana Taicho said that Matsumoto-san wasn't asked to come because she made a very specific request of her. However... they didn't invite Hinamori-san to the meeting." Isane stated.

"Well, I can understand why they didn't." Matsumoto stated, her body tense as she watched the small child, waiting for him to wake up. Silence though came to them as Toshiro continued to sleep. As the sunshine of the setting sun shown through the window, everyone heard footsteps in the hall way and they were greeted by the taicho of the division.

"Well, I expected that Ichimaru would still be out cold by the time I got back, but I can understand why you woke up and didn't stay in your room." Unohana smiled at them, moving into the room. She also glanced over at Hanataro. "Thank you for staying with him."

Rangiku spoke up, concern in her voice. "How long will it be until I will be able to bring taicho home?"

At that, Retsu paused. "It will honestly be at least a few weeks before I can release Hitsugaya Toshiro from the forth division. That said, I've decided it is best to release him into the care of Ichimaru Gin and the third division for the time being."

At that, Matsumoto found her mouth opening wide, while the other two members of the forth division gave rather confused looks. Isane found herself speaking up. "But it's always Rangiku-san whose been taking care of Toshiro-kun when he's been ill."

"I know this." Unohana stated, then continued. "Normally I would be releasing Hitsugaya Taicho into Matsumoto-san's care. However, I am faced with the dilemma of the two of them not having a major strain on their relationship that needs the chance to heal."

"I understand what you are saying about why I shouldn't be the one to take care of taicho, but..." Matsumoto closed her eyes, her face twisting up in pain.

"I am going to have to agree with Ran-chan here. I think she is talking about the fact that I am likely not the best person to be caring for Shiro-chan until he recovers." Ichimaru frowned, holding completely still as he did so.

"At this point, Hitsugaya Taicho isn't really letting anyone touch him." The female piped up.

"The only reason Gin was able to touch taicho was because he..." Rangiku closed her eyes, remembering the fit that the small child had when someone had touched him.

At that, Toshiro began to stir and he opened his eyes, suddenly freezing when he saw the two sitting in front of him. He twisted his body over so he was facing the other way, only to find two other people near him. At that, he buried his face into the pillow. Hanataro spoke up rather quickly. "Um... I know you don't want people around, Hitsugaya Taicho, but if you need anything, just let one of us know."

At that, two teal eyes stared at the other youth for a few minutes, before burring his head again. Unohana glanced at the small figure. "Matsumoto... can I speak to you in my office?"

At that, the busty woman got up, letting out a deep sigh. She followed the female taicho to the main office and sat down in the chair. "I am not happy with this at all. I don't see why Ukitake Taicho couldn't be placed in charge of taicho, or Hanataro. I mean, doesn't taicho trust them?"

"It isn't as simple as that. Ukitake Taicho tried getting Hitsugaya to speak with him when he noticed that our small taicho's wrist was damaged." Unohana sighed. She then went on to comment on the fact that it was too big of a task for Hanataro to handle. "That said, I have a reason for selecting Ichimaru for this task. Two exactly."

"And they would be?" Rangiku let out a deep breath, making it obvious that her frustration was growing.

"Something that Yamamoto and I didn't tell the other captain's and fukutaicho and that only a select few know is the state of mind Hitsugaya Taicho had before Aishadou Taicho took him to the living world. Goodness knows that it will eventually come out. However, neither one of us were blind to the fact that Hitsugaya Taicho mentally doesn't think he is worthy of his position. He likely will think that he is still a fukutaicho of the third division, despite the fact that he is still the captain of the tenth."

At that, Matsumoto closed her eyes. "Still. I have a problem with the fact that Gin is the one taking care of him."

"The other reason is, the blade that was used to protect himself from Aishadou Taicho wasn't Hyorinmaru." Ukitake commented. "In fact, we're still looking for his zampaktuo."

"You mean to tell me, that man_ took_ my taicho's zampaktuo? He _took_ part of Toshiro's soul?" Rangiku shook her head, rather pained at the idea. "Taicho... he won't be complete until he has that dragon in his hands again. Hyorinmaru is his best friend." At that, she closed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "What did taicho use then?"

"He used Shinso." Unohana spoke up. "Ichimaru Gin gave Hitsugaya Taicho his blade."

At that, Rangiku paused, confusion written all over her face. Her featured though then softened. "Ichimaru wasn't in jail because he was a traitor, was he? He wouldn't have been allowed to keep his zampaktuo other wise. Not that I trust him anymore. But... he gave taicho Shinso? He never lets anyone touch that blade, unless it is to cut them. I mean, I've touched it, but he's never liked it."

"Do you think you can trust your small taicho in his hands Matsumoto?" The female taicho spoke up.

"I don't trust his tactics. He's trouble with, as they say, all capitals." The woman let out a deep sigh. "However, I get the feeling he does have taicho's well fare in the for front of his goals. I still won't forgive him this easily and I'll be watching everything he does."


	3. Heart Break

_Author's note – It has been almost a year since Evilhumour and I have worked on this fanfic. Apologies to everyone whose reviewed and not received a reply back, that honestly wasn't intentional._

**Touchan Taicho  
>~<em>Heart <em>_Break~_****_  
><em>**

The chair made a scraping sound as it traveled across the wooden floor. Gin sat in said chair watching as the child coward on the bed. A slight trembling ran through the boy's body. "_Unohana is letting __me__ be the one to care for chibi? Has she gone inane in her old age? Rangiku is the best person to take care of him. She's always been a loving mother to him despite the fact she doesn't know the truth._"

"_Unohana likely has a reason._" Shinso spoke up, the zampaktuo's voice filled with mirth.

"Hey... Shiro-chan..." The silver haired man spoke up, only to have the child curl up slightly upon hearing the man's voice. "Are you having problems getting to sleep?" No response came from the child. Letting out a deep sigh Gin choose to move closer. "How about I sing you a lullaby? When I couldn't sleep Ran would sometimes sing to me, even up to right before I left Soul Society. You heard her some times."

Knowing he wouldn't get an answer Gin softly began to sing. He watched as the boy's body slowly stopped shaking and finally a soft sound came from the boy indicating he had finally fallen asleep. Isane was watching from the side and spoke up. "You should probably be getting back to your own room now, you also need your rest."

The man stood up, shaking off the instinct to stretch his muscles. Hanataro followed close behind him as he headed back to the room. Upon arriving there Gin found him freezing in the door way while the small shinigami crashed into his back. "Ise Nanao... what brings you here today?"

"I just got out of the joint captain and fukutaicho meeting Ichimaru. I didn't like the decision I heard." The woman pushed up her glasses and her eyes were narrowed to show her irritation.

Gin moved over to the bed and sat down. "You're talking about the fact I got my captaincy back? You know that the dual wasn't against regulations."

"I think you know the real reason that I am here." Nanao folded her arms across her chest while her hand clutched her clip board to the point her knuckles turned white.

"Actually... I don't." The man watched as Hanataro hurried to his side to begin tugging the sheets from underneath him. He carefully moved so the small shinigami could take care of the task.

"Everyone found out that you're the one whose been chosen to take care of Hitaugaya Taicho once he gets out of the forth division. Shouldn't he be placed in Rangiku's care? Your personality is cold and uncaring. How are you supposed to help him get better? I can only see you making him worse with the way you are."

"What if I told you I actually agree with you?" Gin refused to look the woman in the face and simply looked at the foot of the bed. "I honestly don't know what Unohana is thinking, but I'm also going to trust her. She must have a reason for doing what she is doing that none of us know about."

"Just tell Unohana that you don't think you're he best option for this then." Nanao pushed her glasses again.

"I did." The man folded his one arm across his chest. "Perhaps it is best that Ran-chan doesn't see him suffering like he's going to be."

"How can you say something like that!" The woman snapped her words out.

"You haven't seen him, have you?" Gin remained motionless as Hanataro rearranged the pillows behind him. "You also haven't seen how painful it was for Ran to see him like that and not be able to touch him and comfort him. Maybe the reason I was picked was because I won't get my feelings hurt because he's not wanting me to comfort him."

"You can be so... so..." The woman let out a sharp sound before getting up and leaving. She paused in the doorway and glanced over her shoulder. "You know I'm going to make your life a living hell, don't you?"

"Go figure." Gin responded before moving under the covers. He dozed off for a little while only to be woken back up when Rangiku entered the room. He moved to sit up, only to let out a sound of pain. "Do you need something Ran-chan?"

"I'd rather you not call me that." The woman leaned in the door way.

"You spoke with Unohana Taicho. Did she happen to tell you why she choose me over you?" The man looked straight at her.

Rangiku found herself glancing away from his pale teal eyes. "I actually have an idea why she didn't choose me. I'm more concerned why she didn't choose Ukitake or Hanataro."

"Ukitake is ill and Hanataro has his duties in the forth. I may still ask him for help when he can be spared." Gin turned towards the small shinigami. "You want to help chibi-taicho out too, right?"

"Hanataro... don't trust that man." Rangiku spoke up. "But I do see your point."

"Mind telling me why she isn't having you take care of him?" The silver haired man looked at her.

"I'm not going to give you the answer." The woman then continued. "She told me that you let taicho touch Shinso."

"He needed something to protect himself." Gin frowned at her.

Rangiku's frown deepened. "I am not sure what to think about this. On one side you let taicho touch your zampaktuo when you never let me touch the hilt without getting upset. On the other you knew full well that taicho was in danger but did nothing to step in and protect him, instead you let him walk right into a situation he shouldn't have been in."

The man suddenly flowered at her. "Are you indicating I would wish him harm?"

"Yes... I think I am. I'd honestly rather you not go near him, but he _has_ been placed into your care." The woman's tone was sharp with disdain. "Can you make a compromise with me?"

"It depends on what the compromise is Rangiku." Gin's eyes glared at her.

"I want you to stay away from him while he's in the forth." The woman stated.

"If I don't visit him a few times while he's in here its going to be harder for him when he gets out." Ichimaru stated. "That said, I need to heal up myself and there are some things I need to get done at the third division before I can bring him home."

"The third division isn't his home!" Rangiku snapped the words out. "His home is with me, not you."

"Until he's ready to come _home_, his home is going to be with me." Gin stated, only for himself and Hanataro to flinch as she stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

**M**

Instinctively Rangiku found herself heading towards where her small taicho's room in the forth. As she got close to the room. Turning in through the doorway she saw Isane trying to hold the small taicho down with some other nurses. "Hitsugaya Taicho! We need to give you some medicine! Please..."

"Shouldn't we sedate him?" one of the nurses asked.

"Unohana said only to sedate him if it is an emergency."

One of the nurses let out a yelp. "He bit me! Are you sure this isn't an emergency? And why can't we use the physical restraints.

"We need to stop." Isane stated as she herself backed off. "Unohana made it clear she doesn't Hitsugaya Taicho to accidentally hurt himself while he's struggling with us and she doesn't want him any more traumatized then he is."

"I'll help." Rangiku rolled up her sleeves. "That medicine is supposed to make him feel better?"

"It's supposed to take some of the pain away." The other member of the woman's society let out a deep sigh. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea."

The small child had managed to maneuver himself onto his stomach and was panting fro the exertion. The busty female reached out to touch his shoulder, only to have her taicho turn slightly to bite down on her hand hard. The woman's pale eyes blinked a couple of times. "Taicho... it's me."

The teeth unclenched to allow her to remove her hand from his jaw. She reached for him again, only to find her eyes going wide as she felt a strong kick to her abdomen area. "Taicho..."

"Rangiku! This is a bad idea!" Isane grabbed the woman and dragged her out of the room. "We just need to leave him alone for a bit."

"You could try doing something while he's asleep," the woman sighed.

"Unohana is worried that he'll realize we've done something to him while he is asleep... not to mention he was asleep for a very short period of time before he woke up thrashing." Isane commented.

"It's this bad?" Rangiku felt an ache in her chest.

"It doesn't help that Hitsugaya Taicho is on the level of a captain and is stronger then us either." The other woman sighed. "Let me bandage your hand up."

Everything then felt numb and she found herself heading to a sake bar to drown out the pain. Her pale eyes were distant as she swished her drink around the cup at the table. She payed no mind to those who came and went around her. "I should probably get the work at the division done. It has rather backed up since taicho..."

Rangiku paused and closed her eyes, hanging her so it rested on one of her hands. A few minutes later a male voice came to her ears. "Matsumoto-san?"

This caused the busty woman to glance up in time to see Hisagi sit down across from her. She let out a deep sigh before speaking to him with a dark tone. "Are you sure your girlfriend won't be jealous of you sitting with me?"

"You mean my fiance?" The fukutaicho of the ninth division watched as she flinched.

The cup was lifted to allow the other fukutaicho to take a sip. "As I recollect the offer to marry her was because you felt guilty about not stepping up despite the fact it wasn't your fault."

"If that were true... well, I honestly didn't do it because I felt guilty about letting her go her own way that night if that is what you're asking. I don't think I did it to rescue her either." Hisagi raised his hand to have a drink brought to him. "Truth be told, we haven't discussed where things are going to go. I think the real reason I stepped up was because I don't want to lose her to another guy. I also was really wanting to start a family with her"

"How romantic. I wish I was lucky enough to have a guy willing to fight not to lose me. Gin doesn't want to have a family." Rangiku watched as Hisagi suddenly flinched. She waved her hand at him. "I got it, I got it. Nobody ever got along with him before truth be told."

"That isn't it." The man let out a deep sigh. "I don't know why I feel the way I do."

"That's because you got to see Soifon's other side." Rangiku took a deep drink. She then leaned over and whispered in his ear and watched as his cheeks flushed up. "She may act like a tomboy, but everyone in the woman's society knows that is an act forced upon her due to the fact all of her brother's passed away."

"I refuse to admit what you've said is true as I respect the pride she has." Hisagi turned his head away.

Rangiku pulled away. "That is beside the point though. I was asking you if you were worried about her being jealous if she caught you drinking with me."

"I'm not worried about her being jealous." Hisagi let out a soft laugh just as his own bottle came and he put down the coin. "She has her own reasons for not worrying about me getting together with you."

"Oh come on!" The woman shook her head. "Everyone knows that you're more interested in women with substance. Let me give you a piece of advice, women have their insecurities, you'll do well to learn early on what those insecurities are. Don't just push them aside as if they are nothing. Particularly if what you say about wanting to be with her is actually true."

The fukutaicho of the ninth took his first drink. "I'm choosing to trust that Soifon won't get jealous. If I have to work things out with her then I will. Plus..." the man took another drink. "She and I are both worried about your taicho. She may have gone to the captain's meeting, but she's till restricted in her movements. Not to mention pretty much no one is still able to visit him. Even the smallest amount of news to pass onto her would be good."

He then said something else. "Not to mention any guy who does cheat on their girl deserves to be hit."

"Tell that one to Gin."

"Ichimaru cheating on you?" Hisagi shook his head.

Rangiku let out a deep sigh as she swirled her drink again. "Apparently he had a relationship with a guy."

The man flinched. "I'm going to say ouch and sorry. Are you sure you have the whole story from him. He's pretty bad about telling the whole truth about things."

"I'd rather not talk about that man as I gave up on Gin being _my life_ a long time ago. I thought I found something else to be mine to take care of, but even _that_ has been taken away."

"You're speaking of Hitsugaya Taicho are you not?" Hisagi tipped out the cup.

Rangiku leaned on one arm. "That child became the bright spot in my life the first day I saw him. That _monster_ took my _bright_ little one and hurt him. Taicho's been hurt so bad he's now afraid of me." The woman held up her hand. "Taicho bit me today, but that isn't the worst of this."

"What is?"

"The fact _Gin_ has been placed in charge of taicho's care once he gets out. _And_ there is the fact that man is now a captain again."

"Does he know that he is going to be the one taking care of Hitugaya Taicho yet?"

"He didn't know until I complained about it in front of him." Rangiku downed a second cup of sake. "He was surprised it wasn't me."

"I'm honestly a bit surprised too." Hisagi poured himself some more to drink.

"I'm not... I actually expected someone other then myself to be taking care of taicho for awhile. Just not that man."

"You... I'm surprised to see you saying that."

"I should have been the first person taicho came to and yet he didn't trust me enough to tell me anything. Aishadou made taicho scared of being close to me I think."


	4. Responsibility

**Touchan Taicho ~****_ Responsibility ~_**

A soft light came through the window of the forth division room and fell upon Gin's face. The silver haired man let out a deep sigh before pushing himself up from the bed. Pain still could be felt in his right arm but he found himself at a functional state and began to stretch his muscles out, testing the limits of his injured arm.

The sound of footsteps and the feeling of a very soft and kind reiatsu came to his senses, causing him to look up from his activity. Unohana smiled at him. "How are you feeling Ichimaru Taicho?"

"It feels weird to hear myself being referred to as a taicho." Gin relaxed his muscles as he leaned against the headboard. The woman smiled at him as he continued his speech. "My muscles are stiff from having my reiatsu drained like it was. My arm hurt, but I think I can do some light activity. My energy level isn't that great, so I'm likely not going to be any use in a fight at this point in time. I have a knack for running away from situations I know I can't handle unless there is someone I need to protect."

"So I can probably trust you to whatever task you've set your mind to doing?" Unohana smiled at the man before coming over to undo the bandage on his arm.

The silver haired man choose not to answer her question but instead choose to ask one of his own. "Why did you make the decision to put me in charge of taking care of Shiro-chan? I know nothing about taking care of a kid. I'm also not going to be able to sugar coat this recovery for him, it goes against my personality."

"This is exactly why I've picked you." The taicho of the forth began to put on the new bandage. "When Kusajishi Fukutaicho was brought in the situation was different. She would at least let some people touch her. Hitsugaya Taicho on the other hand is fighting with anyone who touches him. He may be a child, but he's also a child with the strength of a captain. On top of this, it's painful for many of us to see him push us away."

"And you don't think I'll get my feelings hurt." A smirk came across the man's face despite the fact he didn't find the conversation to be amusing.

"Your feelings won't be hurt as you know what he is going through." Unohana watched as the smile fell from his face. "I was the one to always do your physical examinations so I've known for some time that you've had a sexual relationship with another man. If it wasn't consensual then I figured you would have trusted me enough to come and speak with me. However, I also thought the same thing of your son."

"Ouch." Gin glanced at his feet. "I gave my consent."

"If you ever wish to talk about what happened you can always come and speak with me." The female taicho spoke up as if she knew he wasn't telling her the full truth. "If your able to deal with some of the things that happened to you when you were younger it may make things easier for Hitsugaya Taicho. I'm sure you had your reasons for not telling me."

The silver haired man let out a deep sigh as he shook his head. "Ouch again. Thank you for not pressuring me to talk about it just yet."

"You're welcome." Unohana glanced at the door. "What are your plans for today?"

"When Toshiro is released from the forth division he's going to be coming and staying with me at the third division." Gin asked.

"I doubt Rangiku will let you stay at the tenth despite the fact she would love her small taicho... her child... to stay under the same roof as her."

"I'm planning on getting the third division ready for him once he's released from your care. I'm having to take my quarters back over from that man and I want to get rid of all the bedding and furniture so the room doesn't look the same for him. I'm also going to be getting rid of everything that belongs to that man. Despite the fact I want to burn it I'm guessing Byakuya-kun is going to want to look over the items to see if it needs to be filed away with the video."

"What about setting up a spot for him to sleep?"

"I..." The silver haired man paused. "I don't feel comfortable leaving him alone so I'll be setting up a second bed in my room. Unless of course he manages to make major improvements before he is released."

"I'll bring you a set of robes then." Unohana stood up. "I want you to promise me you'll leave the moving of the furniture to your division members."

**M**

Izuru found himself dealing with stacks of paperwork that seemed to have built up over the last couple of days. He took another sheet and began to work on it when he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. Rather timidly he set the brush down but found he couldn't glance over his shoulder. However, the voice piped up without him having to say anything. "You seem to be doing a very good job without me."

"Ichimaru Taicho... I thought you would still be in the forth division recovering." The young man remained as still as possible.

Gin picked up a few papers off the top of the stack and walked over to his desk. "If I take over the paper work would you be able to handle getting the captain's quarters cleaned out. Put the prior captains things into a room until the taicho of the sixth division can go through them. I'd move the furniture myself, but I'm not supposed to be moving those items. Plus, I am very tempted to burn everything of his just to spite the man."

"Yes sir." The blond haired youth stood up and headed towards the door. He paused however and turned to look at the silver haired man. "Are you sure that you're ready to be taking up your duties again?"

"I'm actually not." Gin glanced up. "I'm under strict rules given to me via Unohana about not over doing things. The only reason I'm being allowed out is because I'm preparing the place for Shiro-chan when he gets out. I don't want anything that will remind him of that man left in that room, particularly since he is going to be staying in the same room with me for awhile."

Izuru headed out of the office then and the silver haired man was surrounded by a nice silence. He worked away at the stacks of papers and put a few aside that he needed to ask his fukutaicho about. Within an hour or so he happened to finish most of the paper work and tapped the papers he needed to speak to his fukutaicho about against his desk to straighten out.

Standing up he tucked the papers under his arm and headed towards his quarters and watched as some of the men from the third division moved out the last of the furniture. His fukutaicho glanced up at him. "What are you going to do for bedding?"

"I'll use a futon from the third division supplies until I can get out and buy the things I need." Gin fulled the papers out. "I need to ask you some questions."

"I can finish what's left unless it needs a taicho's signature." Izuru spoke up taking the papers away. The silver haired man frowned at his subordinate. However, the fukutaicho spoke up. "I've had to take care of the paper work while the division has been without a taicho. It's not something new to me. Plus, having someone else to help cut down on the work level helps."

The taicho of the third division frowned as the young man couldn't look him in the eye as he took off. The man let out a deep sigh and took a look around the room. "If I were to hide a zampaktuo where would I place it?"

"_Hyorinmaru isn't here._" Shinso spoke up. "_I would be able to tell if he was here and he wasn't here that night either._"

This caused Gin to grimace, before turning to look at the direction of his furniture."Looks like I'll need another favor from someone."

He then turned on his heels and headed towards the office. Getting into the place, Izuru jumped. However, the young man spoke to him with less of a timid tremor to his voice compared to before the Winter War. "I've asked one of the members to take a couple of futons to your quarters. Do you need anything?"

"I need you to look through that man's furniture for chibi's blade." Gin's mood was dark. "If I try looking I'm going to be dicing things to pieces or burning something."

"I see..." The blond haired fukutaicho stood up to head to the door. He glanced down quickly. "I finished the paper work. It only needs signatures."

"_You know that I said Hyorinmaru wasn't there that night._" The poisonous blade hissed out his disgust.

"_If Hyorinmaru is at the man's estate I need to confirm that it isn't here or else Byakuya-kun will be on my case._" The man chortled to his zampaktuo, laughing as he did so.

"_You don't even like that man._"

"_That's because he's always been stuck up._"

**M**

As the sun began to set, Gin decided to head to the forth division to see how things were going. Many of the members would dodge out of his way and he simply smiled in his usual manner at them. However, when he came close to the room his son was staying in, the sound of scuffling came to his ears.

The silver haired man flash stepped over to the doorway with his hand on the hilt of Shinso only to find himself staring at the site. Toshiro was kicking and biting at everyone and Gin felt his throat tightening. The silver haired man stepped forward just in time to Isane to startle and receive a kick in the stomach that knocked her to her feet.

Many of the nurses that were trying to help her suddenly backed away. "We honestly need Unohana taicho."

"What are you trying to do?" Gin asked.

Isane let out a deep breath. "We're trying to get Hitsugaya Taicho in the bath. He hasn't taken one for a couple of days and we need to apply some medicine. We also need to give him some pain killer. He's been without for eight hours, veer since Unohana administered it to him today. I'll go and get her. Even she's gotten bit."

"There is no telling where she is." The man sighed. "I'll get him into the bath, you worry about having it ready."

"It's been ready for a bit of time now," Isane glanced over at a side room.

"_Aren't the rooms with bathrooms attached to them there for long term patients._"

Gin ignored his blade and simply walked over to the child who was lying on his back and trembling all over. A panting sound could be heard coming out of the boy's mouth. He placed a hand on each of the child's shoulder and the problems started. The first thing that occurred was for the palm of Toshiro's hand to strike him in the chin in self defense.

However, Gin placed his weight on top of the boy's body so that it was harder for him to struggle and fight with his arms despite the fact the boy's legs were kicking. He found himself speaking up. "Now... kicking like that can't be very nice for you. It has to hurt a lot and be only making you hurt even more. So can you stop trying to hurt yourself?"

He felt the boy trying to twist over onto his stomach and allowed him to do so. The silver haired man could also feel Isane's rieatsu suddenly flare out. "You're going to hurt him!"

"Better that I hurt him then he hurt himself by doing what he is doing!" Gin snapped the words out. He then scooped Toshiro up and began to haul him to the bathroom. The boy kept kicking while he dug his nails into Gin's arm. The man could feel a twinge of pain flutter through his arm and he let out a groan. "What did I tell you? You keep this up and you'll just make it worse."

A white head of hair shook his head and a sharp whimper escaped the boy's mouth. Despite the pain Gin felt he lifted Toshiro up so that he was carrying him in his arms while Isane glared at him. "I can't condone what you're doing!"

The man however carried the boy over to the other room and slid the door open with his foot. "Do you have a better idea?"

"I could have gotten Unohana!" The woman snapped her words out. She watched as Gin held Toshiro over the tub and realization of what he was going to do. "You wouldn't dare!"

The silver haired man lowered the boy down into the tub with his clothing still on and the kicking became stronger again as Gin no longer had a grip on the boy's legs. However, as he was lowered down and continued to struggle the grip the man had on the child suddenly faltered and Toshiro found himself falling in.

Two dulled teal eyes suddenly went wide and a scream came out of the boy's mouth. The kicking stopped and instead a sobbing sound escaped Toshiro's lips. Tears ran down his cheeks. Gin's smile faltered and he wrapped his arms around the boy's chest despite the fact Toshiro dug his nails in and he could feel his own arm in pain. "I'm sorry kiddo. I didn't mean to hurt you. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been fighting me though."

"This wouldn't have happened if we had just gone and gotten Unohana!" Isane stated, only to have the man suddenly glare at her. She found herself swallowing before turning to one of the nurses. "One of you go and find her please."

Gin could feel the child's nails dig into his arm deep as they hadn't been trimmed for the last couple of days. "Shiro-chan, can you tell me where you're hurting." Upon receiving no answer he glanced up at Isane. "You should work on getting his clothing off and getting him cleaned up."

"Can't you see he's in a lot of pain!"

"He's also not struggling and fighting right now." The silver haired man refused to look her in the eyes as he said this. "Better to get this done now rather then later on.

"You are down right a bastard." The female glowered at the silver haired man before moving to remove the child's wet clothing. She found she couldn't look the small taicho in the eye as she did this. The boy's small chest kept rising up and down as she removed the clothing and she could hear his breathing was deep and ragged. She then set about cleaning him up, being careful around his injuries.

The sobs quickly calmed down and Toshiro's mouth twisted up into a frown as the water began to suddenly grow cold. Gin yanked the boy up, this time in a more gentle matter despite the fact his arm ached greatly. He grabbed the towel from the side and wrapped it around the boy's mid section before lifting him up again into his arms.

He carried the child over to the bed and set him down. A voice from behind him spoke up. "I see he isn't struggling right now."

"That's because he's to hurt to move." The silver haired man piped up. "It's rather taken the fight out of him."

"The fact he's wanting to fight can be see as a good thing, in some ways." Unohana stated out loud. "However, him getting hurt because he can't settle down is problematic."

"Ichimaru... he didn't listen to me about waiting for you." Isane let out a deep sigh.

"I'm completely comfortable with his actions," the taicho of the forth said, causing both Gin and the fukutaicho to startle.

"He ended up hurting Hitsugaya Taicho though! He doesn't know what he is doing." The rather tall taicho glanced over at the small taicho who was still painting, a look of terror in his young eyes. "He dropped him into the tub rather then lowering him."

"I did tell you to be careful about exerting yourself for now." Unohana went and picked up some medicine. "I need to warn you Hitsugaya Taicho, for me to put this medicine on, I'm going to have to put you through some discomfort."

Upon hearing this, the boy's face paled and he began to lightly struggle against Gin's grip. However, the man quickly covered the boy's eyes as a whimper escaped. "Listen, if you want to take out your hurt feelings on anyone take it out on me. Bite me, dig your nails in. Focus on me. I'll also make sure you don't have to see anything. Unohana Taicho doesn't want to hurt you, but you also need that medicine."

Two small hands suddenly dug into his arm even more. Gin burried his face into Toshiro's hair so he couldn't see what was going on either. Unohana sat where she could apply the medicine. A few whimpers escaped from the boy's lips and a few times he involuntarily arched his back. Gin hummed a soft, calming tune and when it was done he carefully began to sing softly while Unohana pulled a clean robe on.

The ragged breaths were easy to hear as were the tear stained cheeks for all to see. The woman reached over carefully to loosen the boy's hand away from Gin's arm. She pulled the sleeve of the man's uniform away. "You opened your wound up. It's no wonder you dropped him. Care to step into another room so I can deal with it while Isane gives him a dose of pain medicine?"

The man got up, his body acting like his energy was drained. Which wasn't completely untrue as he was still recovering his reiatsu. Gin sat on the edge of the bed while Unohana went to work. One hand covered his eyes and he let out a deep sigh. The woman took the time to speak up again. "Are your feelings hurt because he attacked you?"

"Why should my feelings be hurt about that? I kind of deserve to be attacked by him and Ran both." The silver haired man looked at the ground. "The problem is... what I'm upset about is seeing him in pain and being unable to do anything about it."

"You've done more then anyone of us can." Unohana smiled at him. "Even though I am a captain I'm also an old woman. I've also got many patients I need to care for. While I didn't advocate restraining him down to the bed, I never said that he couldn't be restrained physically when he was libel to hurt himself."

"I dropped him. I ended up hurting him and making things worse just like I always do."

"Even I couldn't get him to calm down to the point you got him too. I had to sedate him to get the medicine in him and I had to use Hanataro's little trick rather then a needle. Have some faith in yourself. You're what he needs right now."

"I think he needs Rangiku." Gin glanced at the ground.

"Something happened that strained their relationship." The woman finished putting a new bandage on his arm. "Trust me when I say, it is better that they have some time away from each other to both heal. I say this even though I don't know what was said between the two. You also know him better then any of us, even possibly Rangiku. You're the one who watched him grow up over the years."

"I also feel like I've missed something majorly important while I was gone."

_Author's note – Gin says that the relationship between him and the person was consensual but it was really semi-consensual._


	5. Coming Home

**Touchan Taicho  
><strong>**_~Coming Home~_**

Nobody in the third division wanted to get near their taicho as it was rather obvious the silver haired man was not in a good mood. The man had been in a semi-good mood the day he left to go and see the child in the forth division, but when he had come back he had been in a down right fowl mood. While the man didn't take the time to take his irritation out on his men, the aura he presented caused them to not bother trying his mood and simply did as he said or completely avoided him.

Ichimaru Gin now leaned on the door frame of his quarters and looked into the room, a frown upon his face as he took in the simple furniture that had replaced the furniture that had been in there before. One bed was on the wall to the left with the head board facing the wall, while another smaller bed was against the opposite wall, the headboard facing the back of the room. There was then a set of dresser for putting ones clothes in with two columns of drawers.

Nothing else was in the room, no rug or shelving unit. There was not pictures, nor any kind of books. The man glowered at the space, feeling as if it had a cold feeling similar to how he knew people perceived him. Kira came to his side. "This is what we had time to put together in such a short period of time. We can try to find other items to add to the room."

"Some flowers maybe, something to brighten the room up." The man responded. "I had better head to the forth division."

The man then turned and listened as a few of his men muttered to themselves. "I can't believe that they're releasing Hitsugaya Taicho this early."

Gin plastered his fake smile on his face. "While Hitsugaya is here, you will refer to him as fukutaicho despite the fact he still has the status of captain."

The men flinched at this comment and backed away from him. Kira shook his head. "I hope you don't take offense at this, but you really should try and get on your subordinates good side."

The man suddenly pulled short, his body tensing up. A frown was on his face. "I don't care what they think of me."

"Things will be easier for Hitsugaya Taicho if you don't antagonize your own men." He turned and left his fukutaicho, passing the two men as he headed over to the forth. Perhaps Kira's advice wasn't off. Upon arriving at the other division his presence caused people to stare at him, the looks on their faces the same that he got from his two men. He first walked to Unohana's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in.

The silver haired man slid the door open, a frown on his face as he spoke to her in a nervous manner. "Are you sure that he can come with me to the third division."

When they entered the room, she carefully closed the door behind her. "I wish for you to listen to my Hitsugaya Toshiro. You will be going back with Ichimaru Gin to the third division where you will serve as his fukutaicho. You are to behave yourself, do you understand me?"

The boy was sitting up in the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest as he watched the two. His hair had the look of not having been washed for a few days. The silver haired man let out a deep sigh. "Are we going to have to go through what we did the other day? I don't want to hurt him again."

"I don't know yet. He's not cleaning himself properly after using the restroom. In fact, he's been trying to avoid going at all. He's a rather stubborn child and it is going to be an uphill battle, but the fact he's not sleeping all day is perhaps a good sign. Getting him to eat is another issue as well."

The man let out a deep sigh and went and sat on the edge of the bed. He watched as the boy flinched, before moving away. "I'm not going to touch you, unless you need someone to put on your uniform. Which to be honest I would rather not do. I don't want to lose you though while we're traveling back to the third division, so I would like for you to hold on to part of my clothing. This way we can walk at your pace."

There came no response from the child and instead he moved away even more. Unohana frowned before coming to Gin's side. "He's not going to walk back for you as much as you want him to be that independent. He's just not there yet."

"How am I going to carry him?" Gin turned to look at her, the frowned deepening. "He struggled so much that I ended dropping him into the bath and hurting him again. I don't want to hurt him again."

"Would you rather he get lost on the way back to your division?"

"Shiro-chan is smart enough to find his way home if we were to get separated." The man reached out without realizing it and grabbed the bottom of the child taicho's legging, only to suddenly receive a kick. Letting out a sigh he turned to look at the boy as he continued to grip the edge of the legging. "It's great that you're fighting me, but I really need to get you home."

He then turned his head to look at Unohana. "Are you sure this is all right? I mean... Rangiku has always been better with him. Me, I'm likely going to take a rough hand with him. I don't mean that I'm going to punish him for not doing the things he needs to simply function daily, but I am likely to shove food down his throat. How am I to handle him not going to the restroom, or the fact he does need to bathe? There is only so long that can go on."

"I'll be stopping by each of the three meals. I'm not going to allow you to do this alone. Plus, it's going to take more then one person."

"So I still have to play the role of a bad guy?" Gin shook his head letting out a deep sigh. "I guess I'm the best one for him to hate.'

"That's not what I meant." Unohana turned towards the child taicho. "He needs to get used to being home with you as soon as possible. If need be we can sedate him to transfer him to the other division."

"No. I don't want to sedate him and make him feel as if he can't fight back if he needs too."

"So be it." The woman for some reason smiled at him.

Gin then moved towards the boy to lift him up into his arms only to find himself kicked in the chest. He pressed forward. Eventually though he wrangled the boy so that he was holding Toshiro in his arms, hugging the boy as the boy trembled. He then leaned over and whispered into the boy's ear. "It's all right. I know you're scared, that you aren't happy about this situation. I'm not going to let anything bad happen. I know with my past you're not likely to believe that, but nobodies going to touch you."

The man then used his strength to lift the child up from the bed only to have Toshiro try and struggle again, only to let out a yelp as he moved wrong. Gin shuffled him gently and held him so that he wouldn't fall. "If you struggle you'll just end up hurting yourself. Remember how I dropped you into the tub/ I didn't mean to do that, but I couldn't hold onto you because you struggled to much.."

To the silver haired man's surprise the boy let out a deep sigh before leaning his head against the man's shoulder, looking away as he did so. Two small hands gripped Gin's haori to help support himself from falling. Gin stood up and began to walk back towards his division. People stared at the two and suddenly Toshiro was burring his head into the third division taicho's shoulder.

Upon arriving Gin headed straight towards the bedroom so that the boy could rest. When he arrived ust outside the room he suddenly felt Toshiro flinch. The boy then pulled away slightly. As the older taicho reached out to slide the door open both of Toshiro's hands reached out to grab the door frame. The silver haired man tried stepping in, only to find the boy's grip on the door frame to be quite strong.

Letting out a deep sigh he finally let go, letting the child's feet touch the ground. The boy then surged forward only to find his legs giving out. Gin watched as the boy let out a sound of pain while crumbling up into a ball. The boy's hands went too his lower area only to yank away. Gin's lips twisted up into a frown. "Shiro-chan."

Two dulled eyes looked at him, the teal color seeming like a mirror of himself. Despite the fact the boy's eyes were dulled there was an obvious glare going on. Gin took a deep breath. "Look... I'm only putting you into your bed. It's in the same room as me so I can be there if you need me. Let me get you to your bed and then you can go to sleep while I go and get you some ice."

The man moved forward and scooped the boy up without any struggle, setting him onto the bed gently. He then headed to the kitchen, grabbing the ice and heading back. He saw Kira outside the door holding a thing of flowers, wary of going in. Gin paused before grabbing the flowers from him. "Do me a favor and bring the paper work here so I can work on it."

"You really need to focus on building bonds with your division members."

"A few days, maybe a few more. I can't leave him alone long." Gin walked over to the dresser and placed the vase on top. He then walked over to the child and placed the ice gently where it was needed and pulled the blanket over Toshiro.

"If you need to, I can watch him for a bit."

"After a few days." Kira didn't argue this. The silver man added something to what he said. "

**M**

When Unohana arrived at the third division she found Ichimaru sitting on his bed working on the paperwork for his division, his attention glued to the papers. The smaller taicho seemed to be asleep on the bed but opened his eyes upon hearing the forth division taicho enter the room. Gin also looked up. "I'm guessing it's meal time for him?"

"Ichimaru... it's also meal time for yourself."

"He gets fed first." The silver haired man heard a shuffling and turned to see that Toshiro was suddenly moving away from him. The man simply turned his head back to the woman. "How are we going to go about this?" Unohana pulled out a few jars of baby food, causing Gin to wrinkle his nose up. "You have to be kidding me. It's no wonder he hasn't eaten anything."

"First off, this is not what we've been trying to get him to eat. Second, you yourself said that you were going to shove it down his throat if you couldn't get him to eat."

"Yeah... but that kind of food isn't fun."

"What do you propose then? That we shove solid food down his throat?"

"What about mashed bananas, apple sauce or rice pudding?"

"He needs nutrients, not sweets." Unohana then pulled out a spoon along with a syringe. "You can try spoon feeding him, but I advise using the syringe to get food into him"

Gin tensed up before looking away from the woman. "I'm not going to cause him such indignity. No syringe." He then took the items from her and looked at the boy, who gave him another glare. "You know... when you look at me like that I know you're just being stubborn." The man walked over to the bed and sat at the side and set the items down in time to grab the belt on Toshiro's uniform as he tried to get away.

It then became a fight to get the boy sitting in his lap. Eventually the silver haired man was able to wrap his arms around the boy's chest, pinning the boy's arms to his side. The man's mouth twisted up as he concentrated on the task. With his other hand he opened up the container of baby food and then set it down so he could spoon some out. The boy's mouth was clamped shut.

This caused Gin to place his thumb next to the base of the spoon. He then used his thumb to work on prying the child's mouth open while Unohana came over and grabbed the jar so that it wouldn't get knocked over. Toshiro's mouth remained tight, but finally Gin managed to pry his mouth open and shove the spoon into his mouth. When the food hit the boy's tongue the small taicho flinched and a gagging sound could be heard.

The next move he mad was to clamp a hand over the silver child's mouth and grip tightly so that the boy couldn't spit the food out. Toshiro's voice contorted as he tasted the food, but finally he swallowed the food. Gin peered around the child's white head of hair and saw that the boy's eye's were watering. Frowning he found himself speaking to the child. "Look, Shiro-chan... I know that food doesn't taste good, but you have too eat. If you eat, we'll leave you alone."

The teal eyes continued to water as the boy glared at the jar that Unohana held. Two small hands reached out and grabbed the jar from her hands while she frowned at his actions. Gin also frowned. "Shiro-chan, please don't throw that."

Gin felt the boy push his hand away and the next thing he knew Toshiro pulled the jar up to his lips and began to drink the food down without stopping. The child then pushed himself away to lie back down, only to stop short as his stomach began to have a negative reaction. Gin quickly leaned over and placed his hand over the mouth, feeling the boy's mouth swell slightly as his body tried to reject the nasty subject.

One hand rested on the boy's back and he could feel Toshiro shiver with agitation. Letting out a deep sigh he kept his mouth in place. "Just swallow Shiro-chan." He could see the boy's eyes roll. "No, swallow and it will be done with."

The boy swallowed and then pulled away, curling up into a ball on the bed. Gin touched the boy's shoulder. "By the way... if you feel more comfortable staying in Kira's room, I can have the bed moved there. Just let me know."

His hand was pushed away and Gin found himself pulling away in shock as Toshiro buried his head in his arm before moving his arm long enough to pull the blanket over his head. Gin let out a deep sigh and stood up, following Unohana out of the room to speak with her. "Now that was cruel."

"Yes... but now he sees me as the bad guy in all of this and not you."

"That..." Gin glared at the woman. "... as if he could ever see you the healer of forth division as the bad person."

"Honestly... I've always been the bad person who makes him feel better. He also knows I wouldn't have hesitated in using a syringe to get food down his throat."

"You..." The man tensed up.

"You are not the only person who knows how to manipulate people Ichimaru Gin. Use what I've done to your advantage." Unohana gave him a weak smile. "I don't care about getting him back to his normal mental capacity. That can take as long as possible for all I care. What I do care about is getting him back to a point where he doesn't need to be nursed constantly. I have reasons for doing things the way I do them."

"It's cruel." The man paused, frowning then. "I keep forgetting."

"Forgetting what?"

"I'm not the only one who wears a mask."


	6. Progressing

_Note – For those who've read chapter five and are coming back to read chapter six, I've got some bad news. What I posted was the rough draft for chapter five, not the actual chapter I meant to be posted. Evilhumor and I would like to thank punk lolita23. If they hadn't brought up "korroke" in their review I would never have realized I posted the wrong chapter._

**Touchan Taicho  
><strong>**_~Progressing~_**

Gin lay in his bed looking at the ceiling, his arm over his forehead. He had changed his clothing in the bath area only to find his men staring at him, causing him to glare at them. The mask he had put up so long ago was hard to put back up in part because his focus was on the child. He came back and saw the child still burying himself under the blanket. He crashed onto the bed, physically exhausted from the stress.

A sudden muttering sound could be heard from the other bed and he sat up and looked at the bed, watching as a small figure moved. Letting out a deep sigh he got up and untangled the child's limbs from the blanket before rubbing the boy's back and singing softly a lullaby that he remembered singing Toshiro when he was younger, the few times he had been able to be around the child when he was small.

The sound of someone stepping into the doorway caused him to look up. Kira stood in the doorway. "Sorry taicho, I couldn't sleep and I heard Hitsugaya Taicho through the wall." Gin paused, looking back at the boy who had calmed down. He choose not to say anything and simply closed his eyes. "Taicho... I can take on some of the paperwork. You don't have to do everything yourself."

Gin then leaned back on his heals, dozing off for a few hours. The sunlight came through and caused him to open his eyes. He pulled the blanket back over the boy's shoulders and got up and headed to the kitchens, making a bit of rice porridge and coming back. He shook the boy's shoulders, causing the boy to flinch as he woke up. Toshiro then pulled away, his eyes wide with fright. The man held out the tray of food to the boy. "You need to eat."

He watched as the boy obstinately shook his head. "All right. When Unohana gets here we'll have a repeat of what happened yesterday. At least rice porridge doesn't taste nasty."

Two teal eyes widened again and Toshiro snatched the bowl from the tray and began to eat it in the manner that he had tried to eat the day before. The silver haired man though quickly pulled the bowl away. "Hold it! If you eat it that fast you'll have another repeat of yesterday." The child taicho's stomach grumbled, his cheeks reddening upon this happening. The boy glanced down and his hands grasped at the bowl in a desperate manner. Gin pulled it away. "I know you're hungry Shiro-chan, but you have to eat slowly."

The man handed the bowl back with one hand and a spoon with another. Despite the fact he had told the boy to slow down Toshiro still shoveled the food into his mouth. When he was done he lay back down. The taicho of the third frowned. "It can't be fun just lying around like this. I'll see if I can't get you something to read."

The man stood up, only to find Kira standing in the door. "I've brought the paperwork. These are the items I couldn't fill out easily on my own."

"You didn't have to do that Izuru." Gin let out a deep sigh.

"I'm your fukutaicho. It's my job to do this." The fukutaicho paused, frowning as he did so. "Stay with Hitsugaya. I'll go and get him something to read."

The silver haired man frowned. "He has very particular tastes when it comes to what he reads."

"I think I can manage, and even if everything I get isn't to his liking I can try again." Kira slipped from the room and headed elsewhere. The boy continued to remain curled up.

The next time Gin found himself looking up it was Unohana. "He's already eaten."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

"How do you think? Threatening him with that nasty crap was enough to get him to eat on his own." The man sat in traditional style next to the bed. "Why didn't you try something like this while he was in the forth division?"

The woman frowned. "It's bad enough that only a few of my division members have ever been able to work with him before this. Isane's already upset about the situation and despite the fact Hanataro is more then willing to help he doesn't have the strength you do. There is a reason he carries a sedative in his kit all the time. I'm also needed for _that _purpose."

"Let him help." Gin spoke up. "He wants to."

Unohana ignored the silver haired man and instead spoke to the boy. "Hitsugaya Toshiro? You understand that if you don't eat that I will feed you that particular food?" She watched as the boy buried her head. "So behave for Ichimaru. He is your taicho." She then stepped out of the room and Gin followed. "Hanataro still has a good relationship with Hitsugaya Taicho. Save him for when you absolutely need him."

"Why me?"

"Excuse me?" Unohana frowned at Ichimaru as if his question was strange. "Of course it has to be you. You are his hero."

"Hero? I am far from being a hero."

"That's just the way that you see yourself." The female turned to see that Kira was approaching with a few books. "I see that you're trying to give him something to do."

Gin let out a deep sigh before heading back into the room. He sat at the edge of his bed while his real fukutaicho set the books on the table next to the flowers. "Shiro-chan, I'm going to work on my paperwork. Izuru brought you some reading material."

There came no response to this and the silver haired man instead picked up the paperwork and began to get to work, frowning at the fact there wasn't that much to keep himself busy as well as keep his mind off things he didn't want to think about. The sound of soft footsteps caused him to look up and see that Toshiro was wobbling on his two feet, his attention focused on the stack of books. When the silver haired man looked up the boy suddenly flinched and fell to the ground.

The third division taicho frowned before getting up and heading over to grab the stack. "I'll get them for you." The man looked at the top book and found an eyebrow raising up at the title, recognizing it as a lower reading level. Flipping through the books he let out a sigh before heading over to the bed. "Just to forewarn you, he didn't bring any classics like you normally read. This will have to do until I can get you something else."

He set the books on the edge of the bed and walked back to the bed. He watched as Toshiro sat on the floor looking up at the books then back at him with a look of indignity. "Look... you aren't fond of me touching you. It will do you good to get back into bed on your own. Particularly when you could have just asked me to bring you the books."

Gin went back to the paperwork. The division remained quiet until a knock came on the door frame. The man looked up to see that Kira had brought a tray of food. Looking back at his work he waved his hand at the bed. "Just take it over to him. He's actually eating on his own." There came a silence and he looked up to see that his fukutaicho was surprised. "Let him eat at his pace."

There came a shuffling of feet as the blond fukutaicho took the food over to the boy as well as when he left. After a bit of time the silver haired man looked up to see that Toshiro had eaten a few bites but was looking at him. The man let out a deep sigh and walked over, kneeling next to the bed. "Shiro-chan, if you don't eat..."

A swift movement and the man found a spoon of food shoved into his mouth. Gin's bony hand grabbed the spoon before he swallowed the food. "Look, if this is about trying to get revenge on me for what happened yesterday it isn't going to work." Silence came then and the man let out a sigh and headed back to his work. The sound of a spoon could be heard a few minutes later the sound of the spoon being thrown onto the floor could be heard. The man looked up, the corner of his eye twitching as well as the corner of his mouth. "Shiro-chan, this isn't funny."

The man stood up and walked over to pick up the spoon and wiped it off and set it back onto the tray. He turned to go back to his paperwork only to find a tug on his sleeve. He turned around, glaring at the boy. "Shiro-chan, if there is something you want to say to me then just say it." He watched as the boy swallowed before tugging on his sleeve again. Letting out a deep sigh Gin headed over to the bed and picking up a pad and pencil. He then headed back over and handed the items to the boy.

At first Toshiro simply stared at the pad but then carefully picked up the item. He scribbled something onto the pad but didn't hand it back until the man held out his hand. Gin flipped it around so he could read what the boy had written. "_Why aren't you eating?_"

The man's eyes widened before looking at the boy who glared at him before swallowing again and looking away. "I forgot how observant you are. Let me guess. You don't understand why I've been neglecting to eat yourself. It's not going to be an excuse for you not to eat." Toshiro shook his head at the man. Gin let out a deep sigh. "If I go and get something to eat, will you promise me that you will eat while I'm gone?"

A glare came his way and Gin let out a sigh and scratched his head. He then turned to leave the room to head back to the kitchens to fix himself something. On the way he noticed a few of his division members and glared at them, causing them to scurry off. He grabbed some food and headed back, pausing upon seeing that Toshiro had fallen asleep. Half the food was eaten and something else was scribbled onto the pad.

Picking it up he saw two faces drawn. One had a creepy looking smile while the other had a frown. Both were simple with the creepy smiling face having been crossed out while the other circled. There was then an arrow draw from a check mark to the creepy smile face and an arrow drawn from a cross to the frowning face. Gin let out a deep sigh. "_Way too observant._"


End file.
